Introducing a new BikeBrewer!

Since last year, BikeBrewers has been growing at an exponential rate. Not only do motorcycle manufacturers and motorcycle-gear producers find their way to us, but since we’ve made our content available in over 15 languages, our reach has also expanded significantly. Although we are based in Europe, our ambitions not limited to this continent. We try to go the extra mile and beyond. This can only be achieved with the right people.
It is with this in mind, that we are proud to present a new addition to our editorial team! Dutchman Daan Staffhorst is a fellow rider in the Classic Riders community and an avid motorcycle enthusiast. He and his wife Anne moved to New York in 2019, just days before the outbreak of the pandemic. Daan has agreed to take on the position as our East Coast correspondent in the United States.

In his daily-life, Daan works as a director in a finance company. A busy job, no doubt! During weekdays, all dressed up in a suit and tie, he keeps himself occupied by staring at spreadsheets, sometimes forced to make tough decisions. But on weekends, he jumps on his Triumph Scrambler and roars around on country roads, to clear his mind.

We welcome Daan as our new colleague and look forward to sharing his motorcycle adventures with us all. We start off with a first ride-report on a recent trip he made to Alaska with his wife Anne. Daan clearly is ‘trigger happy’ as he supplied us with 5.000 (!) photographs to chose from, as well as an awesome video.
Interesting fact; Daan took these drone shots while riding pillion, as Anne took over the handlebars. No mean feat!

Here’s the first part of his Big adventure:

The Last Frontier; the Alaskan mile
Whether you are on the road or on a hiking trail in Alaska, the Alaskan mile is local slang for the inability of a traveler to accurately estimate how far the next viewpoint, mountain range, or rest stop is. Due to the combination of rough terrain and the sheer size of America’s 49th state, the Alaskan mile takes longer to traverse than the average ‘normal’ mile, and will test you more, before rewarding you with it’s the state’s unparalleled natural beauty (or a hard-earned break). At the end of August, my wife Anne and I learned all about the Alaskan mile.

Looking for adventure
This is a first report on a challenging ride we had wanted to make for a long time.

As a motorcycle enthusiast who is on the lookout for new riding adventures, I came across the social media account of local Alaskan motorcycle rental company MotoQuest. Based in Anchorage, MotoQuest provides an offering of both guided and self-guided tours. My wife and I were specifically interested in one of the tours offered at the end of the riding season. The closer you get to fall and winter, the more likely you are to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. However, on the downside – you can expect a fair amount of rain too.

Now, while I have been riding for several years, my off-road experience is limited. Coming from the Netherlands we have more asphalt than that we can enjoy testing our skills on gravel. In addition, Anne obtained her license not too long before we would be riding through the Denali Mountain range. Following an intake over the phone, we booked a Suzuki V-Strom 650 for a 10-day self-guided tour, allowing us to customize the tour and plan our days as we desired.

Into the great wide open
We started gearing up, planning, corresponding gas stations with anticipated mileage, adding more days and miles along the process. Satellite phone rental, bear mace, first aid kit, tire pump, tire patch kit, battery packs – we aimed to make sure that a worst-case scenario would not be the last scenario. In an effort to build more stamina, we went on a test ride together on our 2018 Triumph Street Scrambler. A 4-day ride covering 900 miles of backroads through the Catskills region, located north of New York City. It proved to be a useful exercise, as we learned more about the benefits of Gore-Tex and the downside of tiny pillion seats. Unexperienced in motorcycle travelling to this extent, we had prepared ourselves as much as we could.

A Dutchman in New York
Living in NYC, I wanted to go to Alaska to experience the contrast of the insanity between the hustle and bustle of the urban jungle, and the solitude of Alaska’s spruce forests, river corridors, and mountain ranges. As such, our route included the Denali Highway and McCarthy Road, both offering off-road sections and limited traffic. The itinerary targeted about 4 hours of riding per day on average: the longest day would take about 6.5 hours of riding. In addition, out of the 10 days, we ensured 2 days of rest. We planned an amazing glacier hike for our first rest day, and we would spend the second rest day on an unforgettable glacier kayak tour. So much for resting, but we would not have missed it for the world!

First leg
Prepared and packed, we picked up the bike in Anchorage and headed to Talkeetna via Hatcher Pass. Off-road, switchbacks and a steep incline made this pass a good test for our skills and the Suzuki. Impressed with the performance of the 650cc engine, both the bike and our egos got through Hatcher Pass unscathed. Feeling reassured, we aimed for the Denali Highway the next day – supposedly one of the most spectacular routes in the world.

Impressions & emotions
It is hard to describe the feeling when we crossed onto Denali Highway, McCarthy Road, or any of the other roads on our route, crossing from the tarmac onto the gravel. The promise of a road ahead that will lead you through such a beautiful region is thrilling. Valleys, forests, lakes and wildlife – we took it all in. There is a certain serenity in the unforgiving vastness of these areas. Switching seats every now and then, hours of riding fly by, racking up viewpoints, hikes, sockeye salmon, and miles as we cruised along – while learning Alaskan miles in the rain can be challenging. Slow and steady wins the race, and there is no reason to race with the hours of sunlight in Alaska during our trip.

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Daan’s Instagram

This is the end of part I.
Make sure to stay tuned for the rest of this ride-report.

The post Getting lost in Alaska: Part I appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Winter ride
For this kind of mileage and in the middle of winter, I had to be smart about the ride I was going to choose and decided to look into the touring segment.
But what is a touring motorcycle if I may ask?
A touring bike is built for riding the wide-open roads and often has a very powerful engine with lots of storage and protection. The stronger the engine, the easier it is to carry weight as these bikes tend to be big and heavy!

We love Indian
Fortunately at BikeBrewers we have a great relationship with Indian Motorcycles and I have been testing bikes for their Spanish division over a year now. I have gone through the 2019 FTR range and even tried out their custom cruiser Springfield with its 1800cc monster engine.
So, when explaining my trip, they kindly offered to lend me a big bike with a big engine.
I was awarded the ultimate challenge or better yet, the ultimate pleasure spurring the spanking new 2021 Roadmaster Dark Horse wearing its very dark dress and a complete complement of touring equipment including cruise control, plush air adjustable single-shock rear suspension, Apple Carplay and three large cases (total storage: 142L).
Pure luxury for a long road trip!

Big Boy
However, the best part of the 2021 Indian Roadmaster is its improved engine with the new Thunder Stroke 116ci (1,890cc). A powerhouse that is meant to keep power levels up in the face of more restrictive emissions requirements!
On the Jett Tuning dyno, this roughly 5-percent increase in volume has resulted in more power at the rear wheel, to the tune of 75.9 horsepower at 4,200 rpm and 105.8 lb-ft of torque at an astoundingly low 2,000 rpm —. Talk about a stump puller! Yeah man!

Come rain come shine
I left Madrid on a rainy Sunday and rode over 500km non-stop. The Thunder Stroke 116 has a surplus of power with great pulse feel and an enormously satisfying rumble!
The Roadmaster can make a brisk pass with a single downshift. Shifting the 6-speed transmission is clean with a decisive “thunk” going into gear that is common to the big V-twin engines.
With its modern streamlined fairing and electric windshield, I was fully protected from the rain and rode to Barcelona quite comfortably, smiling all along and listening to the awesome audio set.

Meetings, bloody meetings
While working around Barcelona, I was a bit hesitant to use the Roadmaster in the busy streets of the Catalan capital with its 421kg and huge engine generating lots of heat. But hey, I didn’t come all this way to move around by foot.
To my surprise, it was a blast! The Thunder Stroke has a rear cylinder deactivation designed to reduce engine and exhaust heat when the engine gets hot and the bike is stopped. So little heat there.
The Roadmaster is also equipped with Indian’s highly functional super easy-to-use Ride Command infotainment system and its 7-inch glove-friendly touchscreen, navigation, Bluetooth and gigawatt audio with four speakers. It even has an FM antenna which I find hilarious for the 21st century.

On the road again
After a few days, I left Barcelona to go down south via the Mediterranean coast via the famous scenic road called ‘El Garraf’, a small winding road leading you up the cliffs and hills into the natural park of Garraf.
This Roadmaster has an appetite for curves thanks to its aluminium chassis and low centre of gravity.

During the rest of the trip, I mostly rode side roads enjoying the twisted Spanish scenery. These roadways are a real treat because they are deserted. Luckily most of the highways in Spain are toll free, so no incentive for car drivers to look for alternatives, leaving the secondary roads to us bikers!
I really enjoyed the Indian Roadmaster during this trip with its ride-by-wire and three riding modes (Tour, Standard, Sport). I never felt the need to ride in anything except Sport mode, which provides a great throttle response topped with a deeper sound system … always very satisfying!

Hot seat
I did get some warm weather toward the end of the trip, so I decided to use the virtues of the new ClimaCommand Rogue seat. Believe it or not, you can both heat and cool, just dial in your needs. Several minutes later, you will feel the benefits of temperature control butt-comfort.

With the blacked-out finishes, that rough American look and just enough chrome, the Roadmaster Dark Horse brings a modern yet aggressive attitude to Indian Motorcycle’s premium touring segment.

If I could have a bike for each of my needs, the Roadmaster would definitely be one of my touring bikes.

Special thanks to: Indian Motorcycles Spain

Photography: Gonzalo Mártin aka enigma

The post Spanish Road Trip – Indian Roadmaster appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.